1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a disc brake assembly for wheeled vehicles, and more particularly to a disc brake assembly including an elastic member which is integrally formed on a pad clip engaged with a mounting member in order to slidably support the brake pad on the mounting member and which urges a brake pad outwardly in the diametrical direction of a disc rotor.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A conventional disc brake assembly of this kind is disclosed, for example, in Japanese utility-model publication No. 60 (1985)-21559. This conventional disc brake assembly includes a disc rotor (not shown) rotated together with a wheel in a body, a pair of brake pads disposed to both sides of the disc rotor, a mounting member fixed to a stationary member of a vehicle and supporting each of the brake pads so as to be able to slide in the parallel direction with respect to a rotational shaft of the disc rotor, a calipher member slidably supported on the mounting member so as to be movable in an axial direction of the disc rotor and pressing each of the brake pads against faces of the disc rotor, respectively and pad clips engaged with the mounting member so as to be interposed between the mounting member and each of both circumferential ends of the brake pads, respectively.
The mounting member is provided with a pair of arm portions which are disposed to both sides of the disc rotor and in which a pair of grooves extend toward the axial direction of the disc rotor. The brake pads are provided with a pair of ear portions which are outwardly projected at the outer side of both ends in the rotational direction of the disc rotor, respectively and which are fitted into the pair of grooves of the arm portions of the mounting member so as to be slidably supported on the arm portions of the mounting member.
Each of the pad clips is engaged with the mounting member so as to cover each of grooves of the mounting member and is provided with an elastic member which urges the ear portion of the brake pad outwardly in the diametrical direction of the disc rotor and which is formed on the pad clip in a body. Thereby, each of the brake pads is always urged by the elastic member of the pad clip so as to contact an upper surface of each of the ear portions with an upper inner surface of each of the grooves and therefore each of the brake pads is slidably supported on the mounting member through the ear portions and the grooves without a play in the diametrical direction of the disc rotor.
In the above conventional disc brake assembly, however, if the urging force of the elastic members is too strong, there is in danger of generation of the dragging phenomenon in which the contact between the brake pads and the disc rotor is maintained after the release of the operation of the disc brake assembly. On the contrary, if the urging force of the elastic members is too weak, play is generated between the ear portions of the brake pads and the grooves of the mounting member and therefore there is danger of generation of an uncomfortable noise by the vibration of the vehicle or the wheels due to driving on a bad road.